Malta, as an EU Member State, is obliged to submit every two years, a report on national projections, policies and measures in accordance with Article 3(2) of Decision No. 280/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 February 2004 concerning a mechanism for monitoring Community greenhouse gas emissions and for implementing the Kyoto Protocol.

The scope of the report, which is informally referred to as the PAMs Report, is to assess projected progress by Member States on GHG emissions limitation and reduction until the year 2020.  Although at present Malta does not have any limitation or reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol, in view of Malta’s non-Annex I status, Malta is still bound by the obligations of the EU aquis, including the compilation and submission to the European Commission of this report.

The PAMs report covers a variety of sectors, namely energy (including transport), waste, agriculture, industrial processes and land use, and contains information on national policies and measures (implemented, adopted and planned) which limit and/or reduce GHG emissions by sources or enhance removals by sinks and projected GHG emissions by sector for the years 2010, 2015 and 2020.

Malta’s 2009 Report on Policies and Measures and Projected Greenhouse Gas Emissions presents the state of play as at the end of 2008 and provided projections for GHG emissions until 2020. It was prepared by MEPA in collaboration with various entities involved in developing and implementing policies and measures affecting emissions of direct GHG. Coordination of the report was facilitated by the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs through the setting up of a technical working group including representatives from the relevant Ministries, Authorities and state-owned entities.

Most of the reported policies and measures that are in place, or are planned to be implemented prior to 2020, target GHG emissions from the energy supply sector (specifically electricity generation and use) and from the waste sector.

On a national level, GHG emissions are projected to decrease in 2020 compared to current level, primarily due to electricity generation and distribution measures, particularly the planned interconnection to the European energy grid whereby any emissions associated with the generation of said electricity are produced (and reported) abroad. However, on a sectoral level, GHG emissions from a number of sectors, including transport and waste, are projected to increase. 

The PAMs Report can be considered as the basic policy and implementation management tool for countries to monitor progress towards achieving their targets on GHG emissions limitation and reduction until the year 2020 for the same sectors as those covered by the national emissions inventory.